BOISE — Dairy cooperative Darigold Inc. plans to open an office in the Boise area next year.

Office-space selection is targeted for early 2024, according to a news release from the Seattle-based company. Completion of interior improvements and staffing is expected over 18 to 24 months.

Where Darigold will set up the Boise-area office is yet to be determined, Chris Arnold, the company’s vice president of communications, told Capital Press. The office’s size and employee headcount also are not finalized, “as we are working through planning projects as to functions and roles in Seattle versus Idaho.”

The company plans to use the Boise-area location to position key parts of its business closer to its network of farms and processing facilities. 

Darigold has farming and production operations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Establishing an office in Boise “just makes sense as we continue to modernize and globalize our business,” CEO Joe Coote said.

The planned Boise-area location provides “greater access to a larger workforce focused on agriculture, creates a better opportunity to establish Darigold as an employer of choice and a valued community partner, and establishes a presence closer to some of our farming and production operations in other parts of our region,” he said.

Spreading support functions across more of its geographic area will better position Darigold to serve customers and farmer owners, and to oversee production operations, Arnold said.

Darigold in 2021 invested in an aseptic packaging line at its Boise production facility, and in 2022 started construction of a new Pasco, Wash., production facility that is expected to open next year.

The Idaho Dairymen’s Association is “extremely pleased” that Darigold plans to expand its presence in the state, CEO Rick Naerebout said in the release. The state is a growing center for dairy production, “and securing a major office location from one of the nation’s largest dairy producers underscores our state’s importance in the nation’s dairy industry.”

Dairy is the state’s highest-value agricultural industry and Idaho is the nation’s third largest producer of cheese, according to the state Department of Agriculture.

Dairy West, which represents dairy farm families in Idaho and Utah in promoting the industry, is “thrilled” with Darigold’s Boise-area office plan, CEO Karianne Fallow said. Idaho is home to many dairy farms as well as agriculture and packaged food companies, and “adding this century-old brand to the state’s lineup shows the important role Idaho plays in feeding people around the country and globally.”

With the Boise-area office, Darigold will have a better opportunity to “establish lean and efficient teams to support the needs of our farmer-owners, our network of operating sites, and our customers,” Coote said. “That will help us create more value for our members going forward.”

Idaho “proudly welcomes Darigold’s new office, and we promise to continue our partnership with them to ensure their continued success,” Gov. Brad Little said in the release. A “red-hot economy, including a robust agriculture sector, combined with our business-friendly regulatory environment and strong communities are attracting more and more companies to expand in our state.”